The Greatest Man I've Ever Known
by kausingkayn
Summary: The murder of the greatest man that River Song has ever known - and why she did it. -Spoilers for "Flesh and Stone"


**Author's Note: I got this idea almost directly after watching "Flesh and Stone." I knew immediately who I thought it was that River killed, and so I took it upon myself to write the how and why. ^_^ This is my first Doctor Who fic, so please be kind. You can find me on twitter and LJ as kausingkayn.**

**This is set before the Weeping Angels episode, in River's time back before she was on the Byzantium.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, that is Steven Moffat's creation now (thank god.)**

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She stood there, behind the pedestal, her shoulders squared, her chin jutted upward in pride and defiance. She ignored the whispers that came from behind her – ignored the instinct to turn and lash out at everyone. Their words were so _wrong_, if only they knew why…but she could never tell them. They could never know.

Her hands were restrained behind her back in such a way that they were uncomfortable. She could feel the cool metal biting into her skin – the prickling sensation as the warm blood slowly made it's way down her pinky finger, dripping slowly onto the white marble floor. But she didn't tell them of her discomfort. They didn't deserve to hear here complain.

The whole room was white. White and cold and unnecessarily large. The ceiling stretched on forever, extravagant carvings littering the marble. They all were said to have deep meanings, but all she saw were shallow scratched from a chisel.

There is the soft sound of the clearing of a throat, and although she could barely hear it, the others behind her hushed like a wave fell over the too-white room. The man sat behind a tall white altar, his face pale and ridged, as if it too had been carved out of marble. "I now commence the trial of Doctor River Song."

She straightened up a bit at her name, giving all those who could see her face a hard smile. She knew what would come before her. Over the next few hours, she would be bombarded with lies and half-truths, all of which she could do nothing but stay silent and listen while they sentenced her life away. She already knew what would happen – she had been told by a very reliable source. She knew what the evidence would look like, what conclusion would be drawn. She also knew that she couldn't tell anyone the truth – even he who told her the information in the first place. So she put her mental layers in place, distancing herself from reality, and told herself that it was meant to be – she was doing this for him, and doing it willingly. Because, hey, how often was it that one got the chance to save the universe?

_It was dark. Oh so very dark. She has been hiding out since….she's not sure. But she knows if she moves, even a millimeter, the whole thing will come crashing down on her, and the past – her future – will end much sooner than it was supposed to. So she stayed in the corner of the small room with the lights out and breathed slowly, in and out. Her fingers brushed lightly over the gun that was hidden in her waistband, the metal feeling colder than normal on her hot skin. Her other hand slipped into her pocket and gripped the trigger button before her eyes flicked to the camera that was badly hidden in the ceiling. She would click the button, and the image would be cut off – she had to do it at the perfect moment in time, or the whole thing would be in vain. She chuckled mentally, not trusting herself enough to laugh out loud. It was funny, how many things could go wrong. River was crouched on the floor, her legs having gone numb a long time ago. Dressed in all black, even her blonde hair was hidden from view._

_It was there that she waited._

_It was an undeterminable time later that the door to the room opened slowly, and a slim figure slinked through. Even with just the light from the hallway to illuminate, River knew that the time had come – her target had just entered the room. She took a deep breath and her heart skipped a beat. Any second now, he would turn on the light, and her moment would come. River still wasn't sure whether or not she could do it – if she could go through with it even though she knew what would happen if she didn't. She was a woman who has made and will make many sacrifices, but this was almost too much._

_There. His finger hand found the switch, the door being safely closed behind him. She winced at the light, then stood up quickly, her hand reaching for her gun simultaneously. She turned off the safety with practiced ease and aimed the bead on the man's forehead. She knew that he had no idea who she was with her mask over her face, but River still felt exposed. Her eyes flicked toward the camera. She had only minutes now – not even that if someone was actually manning the footage instead of doing the rounds that the lack of invasion had caused this part of the planet to lax into._

"_Why, hello there."_

_Her eyes moved quickly back to her target. He has spoken to her, a disarming smile on his face. River knew that smile – it was the one he used to distract his opponent while his brain searched for a quick and clever way out. It dawned on her that _she_ was his opponent, and she almost faltered._

_Almost._

_She adjusted her stance and let out a long breath. She couldn't say anything – if she spoke he'd recognize her._

"_You know, I didn't know that masks were back in style…should get myself one, I should."_

_Distracting talk – damn it. She swallowed and tightened her grip, seeing the panic in his eyes as he realizes what she is doing. Then, she can't take it anymore, she can't do it. Not as a unanimous face – he had to understand why she was doing it. So River took off her mask._

_Relief flooded his eyes, and she watched as he slumped. "Well, you had me there for second, River." He laughed. It was strained. She didn't smile._

_Her gun didn't waver._

_He frowned and stepped closer, and River's finger tightened. 'Please,' she silently begged him with her eyes. 'Please don't make this any worse that it already has to be.' He got the message, and so many things filled his eyes. She saw a flit of fear, and that surprised her. She never imagined that he would be scared of her. She had only seen him scared for other people, but never for himself. It was breaking her heart. Then there was a hint of anger, that anger that was always simmering just below the surface – but was shown to almost no one. And then there was disappointment. Sadness, even. But that disappointment was the worst. It hit home, and she had trouble taking her next breath. It was shaky, and so were her hands. She had always been such a proud, strong woman. But this moment, it was hurting her so bad._

_And then, he closed his eyes._

_He didn't put up a fight. No more babbling while his mind raced – no more distracting words or gestures. No wonderful speeches that he was brilliant at. He just closed his eyes._

"_I'm sorry." River whispered, and she was surprised to feel a cool wetness fall down her cheeks. She was crying. Her heart raced, her breathing was shallow, but her hands were steady. She aimed carefully, precisely. If she was off even a hair, everything would be over. _

_She pulled the trigger._

_She felt the recoil from her gun and a loud bang filled the small room. She lowered her arm slowly, her hands now a shaky mess as she replaced the gun in her waistband. She was rooted to the spot as she watched the fall of the greatest man she had ever known._

_His eyes had snapped open at the sound of the gunshot, and he had stared at her, almost as if nothing had happened. He stood there, and for a moment, it seemed like she had missed. But then he swayed, and suddenly he was on his knees. River wanted to run to him, to help him, to compress the wound, scream for help. But she just watched with blurry eyes._

_His green eyes bore holes into hers, his mousy brown hair falling in front of them, blocking the full of his eyes from making contact. She watched as his hand raised to his chest, and bit back a sob as it came away covered in red, sticky blood. Her eyes moved to his chest, where the red stain was growing from a small hole in the fabric, soaking through his off-pink pinstripe shirt. It matched the color of his bow tie and suspenders. He took a breath, and she heard him wheeze as the blood slowly pooled into his lungs. Instead of exhaling, he coughed – a horrible, retched sound that would haunt her for nights – and blood bubbled over his lips, dripping to the floor. _

_Then, his lips moved, slowly, painfully, specifically, and he mouthed two simple words. _

'_It's okay.'_

_River's hand shot to her pocket and clicked the button, A hiss was heard as the camera above them simmered out._

_Then a look of pure bliss filled his eyes, and they closed, his head wrenching backwards, his arms jutting out straight from his torso. A wisp of supernatural light started to stream from his body, and River was started from her position, no longer frozen to the spot. She needed to leave now – this was a private and beautiful moment, and she knew that she didn't deserve to be there when it happened. _

_She wiped her eyes with her arms and took a deep breath before silently exiting the room. Her job wasn't finished just yet. As she left the room and closed the door to bloke out the tendrils of regenerative light from entering the hallway, River could have sworn she heard lighthearted laughter._

River felt her eyes start to sting as she rewatched the video. But as the static filled the screen, she couldn't help the slight tug upwards of her lips. These people would never know, but she would.

"I think that is all the evidence we need. Ms. Song, would you like to add anything?" The man behind the altar asked, his voice demeaning. River knew that if he had a nose, it would be turned slightly upward. It was obvious what he thought of her – a common criminal. Of course, he also thought that the man who had been the victim of this hearing was a vague hero from a far away galaxy who had stopped on this particular planet to investigate some strange happenstances.

"No, _sir._" Song said, putting lots of emphasis on the 'sir.'

He bristled, and coughed. "Doctor Arian was a good man – a hero to many. You have committed one of the highest offenses of our people. Ms. Song, for your acts, you have been sentenced to the Storm Cage Facility indefinitely."

River just stood erect, unable to wipe the smirk from her face. Doctor Arian – that was what he had been known as to these people. John Smith, the Dark Lord, The Lonely Angel, the Watcher, Doctor Who, and more. He had been called all of these names, but River knew the truth.

As she was carried away from the large room with too much white, she knew that, even now, this mission wasn't over. She would be imprisoned for a long time. But one day, the Byzantium would become a temporary home for her, and only then would she learn what this whole mission was about.

River knew one other thing. The man had called The Doctor a good man – a hero. But River also knew the truth about this. He wasn't just a good man; he was the greatest man she had ever known.

And ever would.

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